Second Chances
by Belle of the Ball
Summary: Linette had basically lost all hope for life. Her parents are dead and she lives in a terrible orphanage. But when her best friend gives her a copy of Harry Potter, she is somehow pulled into the book and given a second chance at the life she never had.
1. Default Chapter

Hello people. I know I should be working on Winter At Home right now but I simply don't feel like it right now. So I decided to start yet another new story! I always seem to do that when I'm having a hard time with my other stories. Oh well! Hope you all like this one! On with the story!  
  
1 Chapter 1  
  
Linette sighed. She couldn't sleep. She sat up and looked around. It was dark. It always seemed to be dark in the orphanage. She got up and went outside. She knew this wasn't allowed but she had gotten away with taking walks every morning for the last ten (well, maybe not ten. Since she probably couldn't walk then…) years. She looked at the sky. The sun was just beginning to come up. There was a gentle breeze, which felt nice because it was so scalding hot in the girl's wing.  
  
Linette looked at St. Andrew's Orphanage. Linette thought that St. Andrew must have been pretty depressed when he had built that building. It just reeked of gloom and misery. She'd hated it for all the ten years that she'd lived there. Linette Johnson was only eleven years old. But she seemed much older. It wasn't that she was especially tall or anything, but her eyes held a wisdom and grief that no eleven-year old should have. Even through her ragged clothes, you could see what a pretty little girl she was. She had long golden hair, which she had had to put into braids so her hair wouldn't get in her way. She also had beautiful sea-colored eyes. Not that Linette knew that she was pretty. It's not like anyone at St. Andrew's would tell her.  
  
Linette got on top of a rock so she could see over the gate. She was looking for her only friend, Ron. She saw the young red-haired boy rushing up to the gate. She couldn't help but smile at him. (I just realized all these paragraphs start with the word Linette. Scary…). She had met Ron on one of the rare days that she and the other orphans had been allowed to go play outside. They had become friends instantly.  
  
Ron yelled, "Hullo, Linette!"  
  
Linette replied, "Hello."  
  
"I was afraid you wouldn't be able to come out this morning. Mrs. Kingsley almost caught you last time."  
  
Linette shrugged, "But she didn't." Ron smiled at her. He had always admired Linette's courage. He knew the kind of punishment people got for breaking the rules at St. Andrew's. "So, what's going on on the outside?"  
  
"Well… I bought "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" yesterday." He looked especially thrilled by it. Linette grimaced.  
  
"Oh. Another book about MAGIC?"  
  
"Yes. I still don't see why you don't like magic and things like that."  
  
"Magic is stupid. There's no point in believing something like magic when you KNOW it can't exist. You just have to be satisfied with what you have."  
  
"Can't you at least HOPE that something better, like magic, could happen?"  
  
Linette shook her head, "Hope doesn't get anyone anywhere. I should know." Ron didn't push it any farther. He knew she was referring to when her parents had died. He didn't know all the details of their death but her knew it was a very touchy subject.  
  
"All right… but magic IS real. I'm sure of it." Linette sighed.  
  
"What makes you so sure?"  
  
Ron smiled mischievously, "I just know. I have something to tell you."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I'm going away to school for the year. So I won't get to see you anymore." Linette frowned.  
  
"Why didn't you ever tell me?"  
  
"Er… I just found out about it. I'll be home in the summers though." Linette thought to herself, I should have known. The one good thing in my life and it gets taken away.  
  
"Just proves my point about where hope gets you." Ron sighed.  
  
"Well, we might be seeing each other sooner than you think." He reached into a bag Linette hadn't noticed until then. He pulled out a book. "This is the first Harry Potter book. I want you to read it. Maybe it'll change your mind about hope and magic." He threw the book up to her. She caught it.  
  
"Ron! Do you know what they'll do to me if they find me with this book? They'll think I stole it!"  
  
"Don't worry about it. Just hide somewhere and read it."  
  
"What are you going on about?"  
  
"Just do it. Please?" Linette stared at, him for a minute.  
  
"Fine. But it's only because you're my best friend." She heard the sound of the other orphans waking up from the orphanage. "I have to go!"  
  
Ron was already down the hill, "Bye, Linette!"  
  
"Bye, Ron."  
  
She remembered how Ron had told her about going away to school. She somehow felt confident that they would see each other again. But that was stupid. Hope was stupid. She shook her head and jumped of the rock. She rushed inside, unnoticed. She looked at the book in her hands. Was she really going to read it? She had promised Ron so she supposed she had to. She hurried up to the attic. She coughed because there was so much dust. Not the most comfortable hiding place, but it would have to do. She sat down on a mat and opened the book. She sighed and began to read.  
  
1.1 Three Hours Later  
  
Linette was about ¾ of the way through the book. She could hardly believe how much she was enjoying it. She was reminded WAY too strongly of Ron by the character: Ron. They were so much alike! That certainly was strange. She almost felt as though she was living the story. Maybe magic WAS different than she had thought. But yet it was all so stupid… Magic wasn't real…  
  
She closed her eyes. She hadn't slept at all last night so she was really tired. She wanted to finish the book and see who was trying to take the Philosopher's Stone. Why did she want to know so badly? But she was SO tired…  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Linette woke up. Her hand groped around for the book. But she came up with nothing. Where was it? She heard a woman yell, "Linette!" On no, Mrs. Kingsley realized that I'm gone. Linette opened her eyes and sat up. She expected to see the dusty attic of the orphanage around her. But it wasn't there. She recognized the surroundings vaguely. Like something from a dream… What was going on?  
  
A red-haired woman came into her room, "Linny? It's 12:00! Are you just going to sleep the whole day away?" Linette could hardly believe it. Now this face she remembered.  
  
"Mum?"  
  
"Of course. Who did you expect?" Linette had seen her in pictures before. But she could hardly believe she was standing right there in front of her!  
  
"Um…"  
  
"Seems like you haven't quite woken up yet. You need to make sure to find your list. We're going to Diagon Alley with the Weasleys tomorrow."  
  
"The Weasleys?!"  
  
"Yes… you know, your best friend's family?" Linette stared at her in shock for a minute.  
  
"Er, yeah. The Weasleys… Ron…"  
  
Mrs. Johnson nodded, "Ron's coming to lunch. Get ready and come downstairs. Okay?"  
  
"Okay." Her mother turned and went downstairs. Linette leapt out of bed. She said to herself, "This isn't happening. This CAN'T be happening…"  
  
Linette looked around her room. She realized that it was the room she had had when she had been a year old. She didn't know how she remembered that… She looked in the closet. There were clothes. LOTS of clothes. She had never own bed more than two outfits in her whole life. Linette realized all the luxury around her. This was just crazy…  
  
Linette took a blue blouse out of the closet and found some jeans. She put them on. She felt like some kind of princess. She was wearing clothes that didn't have ANY holes in them! She hadn't had a dream this good in a long time. She went downstairs. She saw both of her parents at the table. She couldn't get over how strange it was to see them alive. But then again, they'd been alive in tons of her dreams. But this was just different somehow. The third person at the table looked incredibly familiar.  
  
Linette said, "Ron!"  
  
Ron grinned, "Hi Linette. Good to see you're finally awake."  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
Her father asked, "Remember? Ron is coming to eat lunch with us today."  
  
"Oh…" Her Ron was supposed to be Ron Weasley! She wasn't that surprised.  
  
Ron asked, "Are you all right?" Linette decided she would just play along with everything until she woke up.  
  
"I'm fine. So… are we still on to go to Diagon Alley tomorrow?"  
  
"Sure. Aren't you excited about going to Hogwarts?"  
  
"I'm going to Hogwarts?"  
  
Ron laughed, "Of course! It's all you've been talking about for the past few weeks. Are you really sure you're all right?"  
  
"Yeah. I'm just a little out of it."  
  
Her mother said, "She's probably still recovering from that flu." Her father and Ron both nodded. They began to eat. It was so strange to eat food that actually tasted GOOD. But then all of this was so strange…  
  
They finished lunch. Linette and Ron went up to Linette's room. Now that they were alone, Linette asked, "Ron? What's going on here?"  
  
Ron looked surprised, "What are you talking about?"  
  
"You're the only person I know here. Why are my parents alive? How come I'm not at St. Andrew's?"  
  
"I'm hoping you know more people than me. And your parents are alive… because they're not dead I guess. If we were all alive, we'd all be dead, wouldn't we? That would sure be boring… Isn't St. Andrew's that Muggle orphanage that treats all those kids so badly? Why would you be there?"  
  
"So I've never been at St. Andrew's?"  
  
"Of course not. What are you getting at? You're freaking me out."  
  
"Nothing. I just had a really bad dream. You want to go to your house and play Quidditch?" Where had that come from? She didn't know how to fly on a broom…  
  
"Now you sound more like your old self! All right. I'll ask Fred and George if they want to play. Come on!" Linette followed Ron feeling REALLY confused. But if this was a dream, she hoped she would NEVER wake up.  
  
Okay, I'm done for the day. I know this is a little weird. But I hope you like it anyway. Happy reviewing! 


	2. Diagon Alley

Hey friends! It's been while since I've worked on this one. Five reviews, not too bad. Anyway, I really don't have too many notes. Thanks for the nice things you all said! On with the story!  
  
Chapter 2  
  
~*~ Just to let you all know, this story is taking place during the 70's and NOT during this present time. This detail will make no sense to you now but it will in the future. =). Toodles. ~*~  
  
Linette stood with Ron, Fred, and George in the Weasleys' backyard. Fred and George were exactly like she had pictured them. They were completely identical and SO funny. She and Ron had gotten to the house a few minutes ago, after she had gotten her Nimbus 2000 out of her room. She was really nervous about flying. She'd never done it before! And yet Ron, Fred, and George kept treating her like she was this great flyer.  
  
"It's cruel making us play against Linette," Fred said.  
  
"Yeah! But look who she has as her partner!" Ron scowled at them.  
  
"I'm really not that great," Linette said uneasily.  
  
"You're way too modest," said Ron. "You've never missed a goal!" Linette took it that she usually played as Chaser when they played Quidditch. She just shrugged.  
  
"Are we going to get this game started?" Fred asked. Ron nodded. He looked over and saw Ginny watering some of the flowers in the garden.  
  
"Ginny!" She looked up.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Will you toss up the Quaffle for us?"  
  
"Sure." Ron, Fred, and George all went into the air.  
  
"What are you waiting for?" George asked.  
  
"Um, nothing." Linette took a deep breath and kicked up into the air. It was surprisingly easy. She smiled.  
  
"Right," Fred said. "George and Ron can be the Keepers and Linette and I can be the Chasers." They all nodded. Fred and Linette faced each other. "You're going down, Johnson."  
  
"Yeah, right." Ginny threw up the Quaffle.  
  
"Thanks, Gin!" Ron yelled.  
  
Linette caught the Quaffle quickly. She darted toward the goal at the other end of the yard. She threw the Quaffle and made the goal. She yelled, "Oh yes! I made a goal!" Ron gave her a high five. They played for a while longer. Linette didn't miss making a goal once. They score was 50-30, she and Ron won.  
  
"And you call yourselves Quidditch players!" she yelled happily.  
  
"Oh shut up," Fred said. "We're Beaters."  
  
"Too bad you won't be able to be on the team next year," George said. "There are openings for a Chaser and a Seeker but you know how you can't tryout till you second year." Linette nodded.  
  
"I bet Katie Bell will get Chaser. She's been waiting forever for there to be an opening for a new Chaser. I don't know about the Seeker though. We could really use a good one. Too bad Charlie isn't around anymore." Ron looked at Linette.  
  
"Let's go inside." Linette nodded. The two of them went in through the back door. They saw Mrs. Weasley cleaning up the dishes from lunch. She smiled at Linette and came over to hug her.  
  
"Linette! It's wonderful to see you!" Linette smiled.  
  
"It's nice to see you too, Mrs. Weasley."  
  
"I would have saved some lunch for you two if I'd known you were coming. I'll just —"  
  
"Don't worry, Mum. We ate at Linette's house."  
  
"Oh, of course. I forgot. Well have a good day, you two."  
  
"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley." She and Ron went up to his room. It looked like a Chudley Cannons alter. She grinned. They both sat down on Ron's bed.  
  
"Lin, do you see Scabbers anywhere?" She tried to remember for a minute who Scabbers was.  
  
"Um, no."  
  
"Stupid rat is always wandering off." She looked on the floor.  
  
"Oh! There he is." Ron picked Scabbers up and set him on the bed.  
  
"He's so boring. Look at him! The minute we put him on the bed he falls right to sleep!" Linette turned to see Fred and George standing in the doorway.  
  
"We know a way to make your rat more interesting," said Fred.  
  
"Oh yeah, what?" George came up to them, grinning, holding a piece of paper.  
  
"It's a spell. You can turn him yellow. Maybe then he'll be a little less boring." Linette looked over Ron's shoulder as he read the spell. It was the same one in the book!  
  
"I'd try it but I don't have my wand with me."  
  
"Besides," said Linette, "I doubt it'll work."  
  
"Why not?" Fred asked.  
  
"It just doesn't sound like a real spell." The two of them both shrugged.  
  
"See you two later," George said.  
  
"Maybe I'll try this spell later." Linette just shrugged. "Want to play wizard's chess?" Linette supposed it couldn't hurt. When she had actually been allowed to go outside and play with Ron, they'd played chess a number of times.  
  
"Okay." They played. The chess pieces sort of scared her. Barbaric little things. Ron won easily. He grinned.  
  
"You may be good at Quidditch but I'll always beat you at chess."  
  
"Oh well. Don't care." Linette looked at the clock.  
  
"It's already five! How did that happen? I'd better go home. See you tomorrow!"  
  
"Bye. We'll be at your house at nine, okay?"  
  
"Sure. Bye!" She went down the stairs and out the door. With some difficulty, she found the way back to her house. She walked in. It was still a thrill to see her parents sitting at the kitchen table. She hugged both of them. "It's so good to see you!"  
  
"It's good to see you too," her mother said sounding a little puzzled. Linette sat down at the table.  
  
"So … how was work?" She assumed they both worked somewhere.  
  
"Fudge must have called me into his office about a hundred times today with questions," said her father. "I wish the man could just do the job himself!"  
  
"You ARE his chief advisor," her mother said. Her father sighed unhappily.  
  
"I know." Her father was the chief advisor to the Minister of Magic? Wow!  
  
"What about you, Mum?" Her mom shrugged.  
  
"There was an incident with Mad Eye Moody and a waitress at the Three Broomsticks. He tried to curse her just because she tried to take his coat." She shook her head. "I really hope ALL Aurors don't get like that when they get old. I'm in for a fun ride if they do." So her mother was an Auror. Whatever that was… "Anyway, how was you day, sweetie?" She wasn't used to anyone taking an interest in how HER day had been. It felt nice.  
  
"It was okay. Ron and I played Quidditch with his brothers." She grinned. "We won."  
  
"I'm not surprised," said her father proudly. "You've got quite a Quidditch talent."  
  
"You take after your father there," her mother said, smiling at both of them. "He was one of the best Chasers Hogwarts ever had." Her father smiled.  
  
"Oh, you're making me blush." Her parents both laughed. She laughed too. It was so strange to actually have a family. And why weren't they dead? She'd been told that her parents had died in a fire when she was a year old. What was going on? She shook her head. Why think about all that?  
  
"Anything wrong, hon?" her mother asked.  
  
"No. I'm fine."  
  
"Okay. Let me put dinner on."  
  
They ate a very good meal. Her father complained about the Minister of Magic and how he wasn't fit to be Minister. Linette wondered why her father had such a big grudge against the Minister. (Remember, Linette hasn't read the third and fourth books). Her mother didn't seem to think very much of him either.  
  
After dinner, her father asked, "Want to go flying, Linette?" Linette smiled.  
  
"Sure."  
  
She got her broomstick while her father got his. They went out to their backyard. They both kicked into the air. Linette still didn't understand how she automatically knew what to do when it came to flying. It just came so naturally! Her father was every bit as good as her, if not better. They flew close beside each other.  
  
"You know," her father said, "this makes me think of my days on the Quidditch team. It was great because Richard was on the team too." He shook his head to himself. "I can hardly believe my best friend is a Beater for England." Linette raised her eyebrows. Her dad's best friend played Quidditch professionally? Wow… "And it was great having James around too." She looked over at him.  
  
"James who?"  
  
"I never told you? I was on the team with James Potter. He was a great Seeker." Her father looked down unhappily. "I wish the two of us had kept in better touch after school. If I'd have known…" She looked at her father again.  
  
"Well, don't worry about it. He's, um, in a much better place now." He looked back at her.  
  
"I guess you're right. Can you believe his boy's your age now? I saw him a few times when he was a baby. You two played together. I doubt you remember that. Your sisters would." She wondered if she heard right.  
  
"Sisters?"  
  
"Er, yes. Remember? Renee and Michelle went with that study group to Australia. You cried and cried because you weren't old enough to go."  
  
"I don't cry," she said defensively.  
  
"Sure, right." She grinned and shook her head at him.  
  
"Um, when are they getting back, again?"  
  
"Sometime next week." He looked at the sky. "It's getting dark out. We'd better go back to the ground." They went back down and got off their broomsticks. "You should be getting to bed." He kissed her head. "Night, sweetie."  
  
"Night, Dad." She went inside and went upstairs. She got in her nightgown. She wasn't very tired. She heard her parents talking. She went and sat on the top of the stairs, hoping to find out more about this different life.  
  
"So," she heard her father say, "Have you heard from Renee or Michelle?"  
  
"No. I hope they'll be home soon. They can't miss their first day back!"  
  
"They won't. The term doesn't even start for another month! Can you believe it's already Shelly's last year?"  
  
"No. And its Linny's first. Do you think she'll get into Gryffindor?"  
  
"I hope so. Most of the Johnsons have been in Gryffindor. As long as she's not in—"  
  
They both said at the same time, "Slytherin."  
  
"We don't need to worry about that," her mother said.  
  
"Yeah." They were silent for a moment. "Can you believe Harry Potter's going to Hogwarts this year?" Her mother was silent for a moment.  
  
"Uh huh…"  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, sweetie. I didn't mean to make you sad."  
  
"It's all right. I can just remember when he was a little baby. Before… Where did all our friends go, Paul? Aside from Rich, who is there? Bella's in hiding, I haven't heard from Remus in years, Sirius is, well… we both know where he is, and Peter, Lily, and James are…"  
  
"I know. At least little Harry survived. Who knows? Maybe Linny and Harry'll know each other this year. They're both likely to be in Gryffindor. And if Harry can fly anything like his father could, I bet they'll both be on the Quidditch team."  
  
"Yes. That'll be nice. Let's go to bed."  
  
"All right."  
  
Linette ran back to her room and got in bed. So her parents and Harry Potter's parents had been friends? Weird… And she had sisters? If her sisters were older, why hadn't they been alive too? No one had ever told her about having sisters before. Oh well. She needed to get her sleep if she was going to Diagon Alley the next day!  
  
Next Morning  
  
Linette woke up to two people staring at her. "Aaahh!!" she screamed. The two girls laughed.  
  
"It's good to see you too, sister," a girl with long dark hair said. The other one, with short red hair, laughed.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Linette asked.  
  
"We got back early," the red-haired one said. "We can go to Diagon Alley with you!" Linette sat up.  
  
"That's great," she said sleepily. She tried to figure out which sister was which. The dark-haired one looked older. So she guessed that she was Michelle. And that would make the red-haired one Renee.  
  
"The twins are coming, right?" Michelle asked.  
  
"Yeah." Michelle grinned.  
  
"Good. We could do with some laughs. We were studying You-Know-Who right before we left." She closed her eyes and shivered. "He made the first seven years of my life a living hell." She looked at Linette. "You're lucky you don't remember." Renee nodded.  
  
"Scary times. But I've heard enough about him! Let's go downstairs and get some breakfast!" Linette followed her sisters downstairs. Her parents were sitting at the table.  
  
"Isn't it great?" her mother asked. She looked at her sisters, "I'm so glad you two are home!"  
  
Renee said in an Australian accent, "Yeah, the outback was great but it's good to be home!" They all laughed. (Even though that joke wasn't funny… Oh well).  
  
"All your lists are on the table," her father said. They heard a knock at the door. "Must be the Weasleys." Linette ran to get the door. All (excluding Charlie and Bill) of the Weasleys were on their porch.  
  
"Are you ready to go?" Mrs. Weasley asked. Linette looked down at her nightgown.  
  
"Well, not quite. But I will be in a moment. I'll go up and change." She ran upstairs while the Weasleys filed into her kitchen. She got dressed, brushed her hair and teeth, and went downstairs. Everyone was talking in the kitchen.  
  
"So," Percy said to Renee, "the trip must have been very educational."  
  
"It was. It was really fun too!" Percy rolled his eyes as if having fun was HARDLY the point.  
  
"Well," Mr. Weasley said, "are we all ready?" There was a series of yeses. They all went into the living room.  
  
"Aren't we going on the Underground?" Linette asked.  
  
"Er, no," her mother said. "We're going by Floo Powder." Linette wondered what Floo Powder was.  
  
"Um, okay…" Her father threw the Floo Powder into the fireplace and walked into the fire.  
  
"Diagon Alley!" He disappeared. Her eyes widened. Everyone else did a similar thing. Soon, only she and her mother were left.  
  
"Okay sweetie, go on." Linette took a deep breath and stepped into the fire. Surprisingly, she didn't feel a thing.  
  
She yelled, "Diagon Alley!"  
  
She began spinning very fast and found herself in another fireplace. She stepped out and looked around. Seeing the books, she decided they were at Flourish and Blotts. She saw the Weasleys and her family standing around. Her father took his watch out of his pocket and looked at it.  
  
"We'd better go to Gringotts now." Everyone else nodded and they all went outside. Linette stared at Diagon Alley in awe. It was amazing! She noticed a lot of people staring at her as they were walking down the street. She turned to her mother.  
  
"Mum? Why are all those people staring at me?" He mom smiled.  
  
"I'd thought you'd be used to it by now. It's not every girl who has never once missed a goal in Quidditch. Everyone knows that!" Her eyes widened. She'd known she was good at Quidditch but she'd never known she was famous for it! They got to the front of Gringotts. A red-haired man with his son and daughter were waving at them. Her father hugged the man.  
  
"Rich, it's great to see you!"  
  
"It's great to see you too." The girl, who looked her age, came up to her and Ron.  
  
"Hey guys!" The red-haired girl smiled at them.  
  
"Hi Kat," Ron said. Linette guessed that Kat was one of her friends.  
  
"Yeah, hi."  
  
"Are you getting your things for Hogwarts?" she asked. "Me too. I can't believe it's time. Joe is SO jealous I'm going back. He doesn't start going for another three years."  
  
"Ginny's jealous too," Ron said.  
  
"I am not!" Ginny exclaimed.  
  
Ron mouthed to Kathleen and Linette, "Yes she is." Linette heard her father talking to Richard.  
  
"I can't believe they haven't turned me away yet," Richard said. "I'm thirty-five and I'm still a Beater!"  
  
"Well, you're one of the best ones England's ever had. I bet you've still got another ten years ahead of you!"  
  
"That is if one of those Bludgers doesn't give me brain damage."  
  
"Everyone!" Mr. Weasley said, "We'd better go inside." All fifteen of them walked into Gringotts. Linette looked at all the goblins. They were a bit … SCARIER than she'd pictured them. Her family went up first.  
  
"Mr. Paul Johnson," Her father said, handing the goblin his key. The goblin looked at he key for a moment.  
  
"Very well. I'll have Griphook take you down. Griphook!" The goblin came to then and led Linette and her family to doors at the end of the hall. The five of them got in a cart and they were off. It seemed like only a few minutes later when they came to a stop. He mother shook her head.  
  
"I never liked those carts." They got out.  
  
"Vault 309," Griphook said. He unlocked the door and opened it. Linette was amazed. There were mounds and mounds of gold. She couldn't imagine Harry Potter had found so much gold in HIS vault. Then she was suddenly reminded of something.  
  
"Dad, what's the date?"  
  
"July 31st," her father said.  
  
That's what she'd thought! That meant Harry Potter was in Diagon Alley too! She grinned. Her father gave her a bag and she put a load of money into it. Her sisters did the same. They got back in the cart and left Gringotts. Linette grinned. She felt so rich! She saw the Weasleys and Richard's family outside. Richard was signing an autograph.  
  
"Wow!" the little boy said. "I can't believe I'm meeting Richard Dawson!" So their last name was Dawson… Richard grinned and handed him the autograph.  
  
"There you go."  
  
"Thanks Mr. Dawson!" The little boy was just about to walk away when he saw Linette. "You're Linette Johnson!" Linette nodded.  
  
"Yes…"  
  
"Wow, you're like a Quidditch legend! Can I have your autograph too?" Linette smiled. A little boy wanted her autograph?  
  
"Sure." She took his paper and signed it.  
  
"Oh, thanks a lot! Just wait till my friends see this!" The little boy walked away. She turned to her sisters.  
  
"That kid just asked me for his autograph!" Michelle sighed.  
  
"It's not like it hasn't happened before." Renee ruffled her hair.  
  
"Yup, we've got a prodigy in the family!" Linette smiled and blushed.  
  
"Where do you want to go first?" George asked.  
  
"Well, I want to get my books," Michelle said. Percy nodded.  
  
"I need more Potions things," Renee said. Fred and George agreed with her.  
  
"Well me," Ron said, "I'd like to go for some ice cream first." Kathleen grinned and nodded. Linette nodded too.  
  
"Well," her father said, "why don't we just all split up?" Everyone nodded. Linette followed Ron and Kathleen to the ice cream shop. Linette got a chocolate and raspberry ice cream cone.  
  
"I can't believe you guys are starting Hogwarts," Kathleen said.  
  
"You're not?" Linette asked.  
  
"Er … no. I'm in second year," Kathleen said with a confused expression.  
  
"Oh, right…" Linette finished her ice cream quickly. Ron and Kathleen were only halfway through theirs. Linette started to get bored waiting for them to finish. "Do you mind if I go get my robes?" Ron shook his head.  
  
"We'll catch up with you in a little while." Linette smiled and left the ice cream shop. She went over to Madam Malkin's. She saw a black-haired boy walk in.  
  
She said to herself, "I wonder if…" She raced inside. She didn't see the boy anywhere. She went up to Madam Malkin.  
  
"Another Hogwarts student? I've already got two boys back there." She went to the back of the shop where there were two boys were being fitted. She recognized the blond one instantly as Draco Malfoy. So the other must be…  
  
She stood on a stool; Madam Malkin put a robe over her head, and started pinning it. Draco looked at her.  
  
"Are you in Hogwarts too?" She nodded. She looked at who she knew now was Harry.  
  
"What about you, are you going to Hogwarts?"  
  
"Yes he is," Malfoy answered for him. "As I was saying, my father's next door buying books and my mother's up the street looking at wands." Linette recognized the dialogue from the book. "Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow."  
  
Even if Linette hadn't known what a stupid person Malfoy was from reading the book, she would have disliked him anyway.  
  
"Have either of YOU got your own brooms?"  
  
"No," Harry said, speaking for the first time since she'd come in. Draco looked at her.  
  
"Yes, actually. A Nimbus 2000." Draco raised his eyebrows.  
  
"I'll probably be getting one of those soon. Do either of you play Quidditch?"  
  
"No," Harry said. It was obvious he was uncomfortable.  
  
"I've played Quidditch," she grinned, knowing she what she was famous for, "once or twice."  
  
"I'VE played it tons of times," Malfoy said. "Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my house, and I must say, I agree. Do you know what you'll house you'll be in yet?"  
  
"No," Harry said again.  
  
"Well," Linette replied, "how could we know?" Harry looked at her for the first time and gave her a small smile.  
  
"Well no one really knows till they get there, do they, but I know I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been."  
  
"You must be so proud," Linette said.  
  
"I certainly am," Malfoy said, not catching the sarcasm, "imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"  
  
"Mmm," Harry said.  
  
"I really don't think I would," Linette said, "but if I were in your house, maybe I would —"  
  
Malfoy, not hearing said, "I say, look at that man!" Linette looked at the window and saw Hagrid. He was even larger than she'd pictured! She smiled at him.  
  
"That's Hagrid," said Harry, looking pleased with himself. "He works at Hogwarts."  
  
"I-I think my parents know him," said Linette unsurely.  
  
"Oh," Malfoy said, "I've heard of him. He's a sort of servant, isn't he?"  
  
"He's gamekeeper," Harry and Linette said at the same time. He looked at her and smiled.  
  
"Yes, exactly. I heard he's a sort of savage—lives in a hut on the school grounds and every now and then he gets drunk, tries to do magic, and ends up setting fire to his bed."  
  
"I never heard any of that," Linette said angrily. Malfoy glared at her.  
  
"I think he's brilliant," said Harry. Linette smiled at him.  
  
"DO you?" Malfoy said. "Why is he with you? Where are your parents?"  
  
"I really don't think that's and of your business," Linette said. Malfoy glared at her again.  
  
"It's all right," Harry said. "They're dead."  
  
"I'm sorry," said Linette honestly.  
  
"So am I," said Malfoy, not sounding sorry at all. "But they were OUR, kind weren't they?"  
  
"They were a witch and wizard, if that's what you mean."  
  
"What about you?" Malfoy asked, turning to Linette.  
  
"Yes, I'm a pureblood. Though that hardly matters—"  
  
Malfoy interrupted, "I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you? They're just not the same; they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. What are your surnames, anyway?"  
  
Madam Malkin said to Harry and Linette, "You two are both done, my dears." They both got off their stools. They went into the front and waited while Madam Malkin wrapped up their robes.  
  
"Thanks," Harry said.  
  
"For what?" Linette asked.  
  
"For backing me up in there." She smiled.  
  
"No problem." She took a guess, "My family never really got along with his."  
  
"You know him?"  
  
"Not personally. But I'm guessing he's a Malfoy. His dad works with mine." She really hoped all this was true.  
  
"Oh … what's your name, anyway?" She put her hand out.  
  
"Linette Johnson." Already knowing the answer, she asked, "And you are?" He shook her hand.  
  
"Harry Potter." She'd always been rather good at acting back at the orphanage. It had gotten her out of a few scrapes with Mrs. Kingsley. She pretended to be surprised.  
  
"Wow, Harry Potter… It's good to meet you." They both got their robes and went out the door.  
  
"It's good to meet you too." Hagrid looked at them.  
  
"Hello Harry. And hello Linette! Good to see yeh again!" So she DID know Hagrid!  
  
"Good to see you again too, Hagrid."  
  
"So yeh already met Harry?" She nodded. He turned to Harry, "This girl can play Quidditch like you wouldn't BELIEVE." Linette blushed.  
  
"Hagrid…"  
  
"It's true! She's about as famous as you are, Harry!" She shook her head and looked down at the ground. She wasn't used to getting compliments.  
  
"Quidditch," Harry said. "I meant to ask you, what is it?"  
  
"Blimey, Harry, I keep forgettin' how little yeh know — not knowin' about Quidditch! Reckon Linette could explain it better'n I could."  
  
"I'd love to," said Linette, "but I have to go. My friends are probably waiting for me."  
  
"Oh, all righ'," Hagrid said. "It was good seein' yeh again."  
  
"You too Hagrid. And it was good meeting you, Harry."  
  
"You too."  
  
"Hope I see you at Hogwarts this year!"  
  
"Same here." Linette walked away. She'd just met Harry Potter! This was so crazy. She wondered where Ron and Kathleen had gone. She found them in Flourish and Blotts.  
  
"Took you long enough!" Ron said. "We already got all our books!"  
  
"Sorry. But you'll never believe who I met!"  
  
"Who?" Kathleen asked.  
  
"Harry Potter!"  
  
"Really?" Ron asked. She nodded and told them all about it. "Wow," Ron said. "I wish we would have come with you!"  
  
"So what's he like?" Kathleen asked. She giggled. "Is he cute?" Ron made a face.  
  
"Gross…" Linette shrugged.  
  
"Actually, yeah, he is." Ron shook his head at them.  
  
"Linette meets Harry Potter and you ask her if he's cute?" Kathleen grinned and nodded. Linette smiled. She liked Kathleen a lot. Too bad she wasn't in her and Ron's year. They spent the next few hours buying the rest of the things they needed.  
  
Linette looked at her list, "Now all I need is a wand."  
  
"I think we'll just go to the Owl Emporium. Ron can help me pick out an owl since we both already have wands. And you already have Artemis so you don't need an owl." She had an owl? "We'll meet you at the Leaky Cauldron in twenty minutes."  
  
"Okay." Linette took a deep breath and walked into Ollivander's. She looked around. "Hello?" She didn't hear anything for a minute.  
  
"Hello, Miss Johnson." The voice made her jump. "I was thinking I might not be seeing you. I'm glad that I am." Mr. Ollivander seemed to walk right out of the shadows. I see you met Harry Potter. He just left a moment ago." Linette wondered how he had known that.  
  
"Oh, um, okay…"  
  
"Well, let us get started. Which wand is your wand arm?"  
  
"Um, right."  
  
"Hold out your arm." He measured her. "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance —" She recognized this speech. She didn't really want to listen to it.  
  
"Er, I know all that." He looked at her for a moment and then smiled.  
  
"Of course you do." He went over to the shelves and started looking around. He brought one wand out and handed it to Linette. "Mahogany and unicorn hair. Ten and a half inches. Give it a wave." Felling stupid, she started waving it around. "No, no." He snatched it away and gave her a new one. "Ebony and dragon heartstring. Thirteen inches. Try that." She tried it but it didn't work either. She began to understand how Harry Potter must have felt, while she tried wand after wand. "No worries, we just need a unique wand for a unique individual." He found another wand. He looked a little unsure about it but then shrugged to himself. "Let's try this one. Redwood and phoenix feather. 8 ¾ inches." She began to wave it when several different colored sparks came out of the end. She smiled. Mr. Ollivander clapped his hands together. "Good show! That's certainly the one." He shook his head to himself. Linette looked at him.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Nothing, nothing." He put the wand in a box. "That will be seven Galleons." She gave him the money, took her wand, and turned to leave. "Miss Johnson." She turned back to him. "You're adapting very well." She cocked her head to him.  
  
"… What?"  
  
"Nothing, nothing at all."  
  
"Oh, all right. Bye then."  
  
"Goodbye." Linette walked out, feeling confused. What had Mr. Ollivander meant? Did he somehow know that she didn't belong there? That she had just been living in a Muggle orphanage the day before? She didn't understand. She met Ron and Kathleen in the street. Kathleen held up a cage with a tawny owl in it.  
  
"I'm naming her Diana."  
  
"That's a nice name," Linette said.  
  
"I saw Dad on my way over," Ron said. "We're supposed to meet at the Leaky Cauldron for dinner in five minutes."  
  
"Okay," Linette said.  
  
They walked to the Leaky Cauldron where everyone was waiting. They pushed a few tables together so the three families could all sit together. The food was very good and everyone compared their purchases. Two hours later, everyone was very tired and very full. Everyone said goodbye to each other and went home. Linette went up to room and got into her nightgown. So much had happened in one day! She gone to Diagon Alley, met Harry Potter, bought a wand. Linette still couldn't believe everything that was happening to her. And in a month she would be going to Hogwarts! She shook her head to herself. She only hoped that she never had to go back to the orphanage. She didn't know how all of the was happening but she was thankful for it. She had a family and she had friends! It was all too good to be true. She wondered how Mr. Ollivander, of all people, seemed to know about her situation. She would have thought more about it but she fell asleep.  
  
All right poppets! That's all for today! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! R/R! 


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